Confusion after Ontario resident arrested for spraying someone with water gun

An Ontario woman is facing an assault with a weapon charge after she alleges that she accidentally sprayed a neighbour with a water gun during a block party over the Labour Day weekend, leading many to denounce the OPP for their actions and calling the arrest “ridiculous.” 

Wendy Washik, a 58-year-old educational assistant in Simcoe, Ont., says she was having a water gun fight with a ten-year-old during the party on Sept. 1 when things took a left turn. 

Washik claims that she accidentally sprayed a neighbour cutting his grass roughly three feet away, getting his chest wet. Despite apologizing profusely, the 58-year-old educational assistant says that the neighbour called the police. 

“I was apologizing over and over and over again, because it was not intentional to hit him with the water,” Washik told CHCH News. 

After arriving at the scene, Norfolk County OPP charged her with assault with a weapon. As a result, Washik says that the school board she works at has placed her on leave pending the resolution of the court proceedings. 

An OPP news release detailing the incident includes Washik’s full name, and age, but does not include a description of the type of weapon that was used. The OPP argues that details of weapons are not generally shared with the public. 

Now facing expensive lawyer fees, Washik’s daughter has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the legal battle ahead. 

“There was no intent to get the neighbour wet, and there was certainly and clearly no intent to injure anyone during this harmless activity,” the campaign reads. 

“However, the problematic neighbour, who has built a reputation of calling local law authority over distorted occurrences took it upon himself to call the OPP. What resulted was a deranged presentation to officers suggesting that Wendy intended to harm him. This resulted in the young, incompetent officers charging Wendy Washik with ‘assault with a weapon.'”

At the time of this article’s publication, the campaign has reached its goal to raise $10,000. 

Washik is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 24.